Calostemma

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Sun, 01 Nov 2015 12:30:58 PST
I grew Calostemma purpureum for many years and I did water it in summer. 
I wouldn't have bothered with a tender plant like this except that, when 
I was doing the intake for the NARGS seed exchange, I opened an envelope 
from Australia and out rolled a bunch of seeds resembling garbanzos, 
which had emitted enough moisture to destroy the glue on their packet 
and then germinated en route. Realizing that they wouldn't survive 
another 3 or 4 months of dry storage, I planted some and shared the rest 
with our NARGS chapter. My plants flowered after about 4 years. When I 
moved to a new house without much space for tender plants, however, I 
discarded them. This species is interesting but not very attractive.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA


On 11/1/2015 10:28 AM, Rimmer deVries wrote:
> Interesting to hear that Calostemma luteum does exist.
>
> someone on this list in the past year to 2 mentioned that Calostemma purpurea needs moist conditions, rather than the dry summer conditions typical mentioned for this bulb.
> So this past summer i plunged a pot of 2 bulbs the came from Telos in 2014 outside in the garden next to the water faucet to get the eastern early morning sun to about 12 to 1pm.  and lots of moisture.
> I watered them quite a bit from overflowing pails etc.  The leaves started to die down in July just as the flower scapes started to emerge.
> They bloomed for 3 months starting in mid July through September into October sending up 4 stem each.
>
> the few nights freezing temps of 25F in late September did not bother them but the shelter being near the house may have helped.  Now they have lots of leaves and we have not had frost in a month, but many nights below 40F.
>
> I collected the seed from the ground and put them on the surface in a pot plunged next to the blooming plants and no seed germinated all August to mid Sept until the night tmps got down to the 40Fs and lower.
> and now there are dozens of germinated seeds. growing in the cold fall temps.
>
> so i think  Calostemma purpurea is a damper growing plant.
> it has leaves for about 9-10 months of the year and flowers for the warmest 3 or so months when it does not have leaves.
> The seeds need cool fall temps to germinate and grow.
>
> i wonder if the yellow Calostemma has the same growth habits, as the red -purple one?
>
>
> Rimmer deVries
> SE Michigan
> Zone 6 or lower
>
>
>
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